Nielsen has revealed that the pre-owned games market has reached an all-time high, while gamers are now playing more than ever.

According to a report by the research firm, the demand for used games and rentals has increased exponentially since it started compiling data back in 2006.

This has resulted in new games sales falling in 2009, although this has been exacerbated by the lack of big name releases so far.

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However, Nielsen also found that the current economic downturn has not halted the demand for games, with 74% of respondents saying that they have no intention of scaling back their spending on the products.

It was discovered that 35% of gamers are actually spending more money now on games compared to the same time last year, while 39% are spending the same amount.

People are also now playing more video games than they were in 2008, with average weekly screen time going up from 16 to 16.6 hours.

Michael Flamberg, Nielsen Games director of client consulting, commented: "Primarily, we believe mainstream gamers are playing more of the broadly appealing games (Wii Fit, Guitar Hero and Rock Band) pushing their hours of gameplay up. The social aspects of these games have engaged them. We don't believe hardcore gamers are driving up the usage averages we've observed.

"Second, gamers may be looking to stretch their entertainment dollar further through playing games they own more. The importance of value for them is evident in the findings on used game purchase."